


Five times Pete was oblivious about the Leverage OT3, and how he finally got the picture

by buriedbybooks



Series: Leverage-Warehouse 13 Crossovers [4]
Category: Leverage, Warehouse 13
Genre: 5+1 Things, Crossover, Fluff, Helena and Myka almost stole the story, Leverage OT3, Multi, Pete is oblivious, and still acts like a five year old, bifurcated artifact, the case is there only if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:07:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27878866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buriedbybooks/pseuds/buriedbybooks
Summary: Artie calls in all hands to handle a bifurcated artifact and a powerful government contractor, including Leverage Inc. and H.G. Wells.  Pete is oblivious to the subtext of the room five times out of six.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Series: Leverage-Warehouse 13 Crossovers [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034829
Comments: 7
Kudos: 51





	Five times Pete was oblivious about the Leverage OT3, and how he finally got the picture

**Author's Note:**

> This 5+1 has been kicking around for a while and it is an indulgent piece of fluff. I wanted to write more Leverage/Warehouse 13 crossovers, but didn’t really know what about. I’d been joking with a friend that Pete would be the last person to “get” the OT3 dynamic; he’s rather oblivious to things like that, but how to turn it into something didn’t spark until I was asked to define the Leverage OT3 on Tumblr. It made me start thinking about what gestures they make, and how they would be “read” by the people at Warehouse 13. Of course, Pete is the last one to get it.

**1\. Helena**  
It really was nice to be asked to help with the investigation of a curiosity again, Helena thought as she pushed open the door to Leena’s Bed and Breakfast. It had been quite a while since she had seen the team, and though she was loath to show it, she had missed them all.

Pete was the first one to notice her as she stood in the doorway to the veranda and watched the usual chaos of the current Warehouse agents. He bounded up and rushed her, grabbing her into a bear hug while mumbling something rather incomprehensible as he chewed… was that banana or…?

Yes, Helena decided with a raised eyebrow and a shared look of exasperation with Myka, she had even missed Pete apparently.

Artie shoved his glasses up his nose and grumbled. “Good, you’re here.”

Myka sent Helena a smile as she nudged the chair next to her out from the table a bit.

“Not that I’m not pleased to be here and lend my expertise, Artie, but what is so urgent that you felt the need to fly me back to the Warehouse?” Helena asked as she took the seat.

“We haven’t been able to get him to tell us,” Claudia cut in, glaring back at the dour look Artie focused on her.

“Just that we need all hands on deck,” Steve added. He had his hands curled around a cup of coffee, and hid his amusement in taking another sip.

Artie turned his glare on Steve. “We’re waiting. No point going through it more than once.”

“Waiting? Waiting for whom? Myka didn’t tell me about any new agents.” Helena glanced at the woman sitting next to her, and was intrigued by the wry smile on Myka’s lips. “What didn’t you tell me?” she murmured under her breath.

“We… may have made some friends,” Myka replied, tilting closer in her chair so that they wouldn’t interrupt the bickering that had broken out on the other side of the table.

“Friends of the Warehouse?” Helena repeated. “Artie makes friends?”

“He didn’t really have a choice in this one.”

“That must have been something to see.” Helena continued to study Artie, and noted that there were more folders than usual poking out of his bag.

“It really was,” Myka murmured into her coffee.

They all heard a door slam shut in the driveway. Heavy, Helena noted, with that deliberate force behind it that is required by a van’s sliding door.

“Ah,” Artie interrupted all discussion. “They’re here.”

Helena noticed that none of them turned toward the doorway into the parlor, but looked to the patio. These guests were familiar with the B&B, then, and didn’t see the need to use the front door. That spoke of a level of familiarity that did, perhaps, support Myka’s comment about friends.

The trio that came up the walkway was striking, Helena decided. Each one was aesthetically pleasing and moved with grace. The woman had a quickness about her, and there was the tiniest evidence of a bounce in her step as she led the way. Behind her were two men, one tall, dark and chiseled, the other shorter, rugged and absolutely magnetic; both moved with ease, though the shorter one exuded more power. He was also the only one that didn’t look at all happy to be here.

“Guys, glad you could make it!” Pete exclaimed as he pushed open the door for them. He exchanged a fist bump with the taller man, and a glare with the powerful one. The woman ignored him entirely, and focused on Artie as she chose a side table and perched on it.

The two men took up positions near her, ignoring polite conventions.

“Right. Now we can get started,” Artie said, pulling the folders out of his bag. “Thanks for coming; I think this one is as much one of yours as it is one of ours.”

He handed the folder to the taller man, who was closest and the most relaxed. The other two positively vibrated tension. Cautious friends these three. He immediately flipped it open and started reading. Helena accepted the folder Artie handed to her, but didn’t open it in favor of observing the trio. The tall man really did have expressive features.

“So, criminal with a twist of hinky,” the man muttered. “Yeah, he’s been on our list for a while.” He exchanged a look with his partners and their postures immediately relaxed, though the intentness stayed.

Their body language… Helena sighed. People these days really were obvious sometimes; if they didn’t want to broadcast their relationship, they shouldn’t move with each other that way, with the most subtle shifts receiving a response. Guess there would be no interesting developments for her in that direction. Not that she was looking at the moment.

“Artie, perhaps introductions?” Myka asked, catching Helena’s sigh. She tilted her head toward the guests.

“Ah. Right.” Artie shoved at his glasses again. “Parker.” He gestured at the woman. “Alec Hardison.” The tall man with the easy smile. “Eliot Spencer.” The powerful one, who had now turned his glare on her. “Meet H-” he cleared his throat and tried again, “Helena Wells.”

Well, wasn’t that interesting. Friends, but not enough to be introduced to her as H.G. Wells. She raised an eyebrow at Eliot whose glare had turned fiercer at Artie’s stumble.

“Now that that’s done,” Artie grumbled, “Can we get back to business? Yes, looks like Jeffrey Rees has come into possession of what we call a bifurcated artifact. He has half of it, and the other half is in the hands of a teenage boy in Dayton, Ohio named Ted Struhl.”

“We can easily get the artifact from Ted,” Myka decided, tapping her fingers on the closed folder in front of her. She’d probably already memorized the main points in the few moments since it was handed to her, Helena realized. This was a Myka who had already started formulating plans. Helena pointedly looked at the woman next to her, and got a smirk in return. Well. They would deal with that later.

“Rees’s pattern of behavior is one that we were pretty sure you would have flagged--and as a man who handles government military contractors, his security is very tight. We were hoping you might have already scoped out a way in,” Artie finished.

Hardison tilted his head towards Parker.

“We can handle Rees. What’s the object you want us to grab?” Parker asked.

“You’ll take Pete, Myka and Helena with you while Steve, Claudia and I go to Dayton.” Artie’s tone was firm.

Parker shrugged. She didn’t seem surprised that Artie didn’t want to tell her what the object was.

“Discuss on the way; keep in touch. Tickets are in the folders,” Artie concluded, shoving back his chair.

“I’ll drive,” Hardison said, leading the way back out the patio door. “Meet you outside in ten?” When he saw them all nod, he handed the folder to Parker and the trio left the way they had come. Probably to discuss out of hearing range.

“You owe me an explanation,” Helena murmured to Myka, as the other woman stood up. “Friends?”

“As good a word as any,” Myka retorted. “I’ll go throw things in a bag.”

Helena nodded and stayed seated. Her bag was still in the back of the rental, all set and ready to go. So she got to watch Pete stuff another banana in his mouth.

He looked at her with a smile. “Think I can get a seat next to Parker on the plane?” Pete wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Helena decided that she would check on Myka’s ferret. She doubted the human Pete would like to hear exactly why she thought hitting on the blonde was a bad idea. Myka was right, as always. Her partner really was oblivious to some things.

**2\. Myka**

Jeffrey Rees worked out of an office in Washington D.C. It was odd being back here. Though in a nondescript hotel room, they really could be in any city laying out a plan to identify, snag and bag an artifact. Well. Not really. Not when she was watching Pete try to work with Hardison and just distracting the man, while the hacker’s partners ignored them. Sounded like a rant on… alien invasion action movies?

Myka sank further into the couch next to Helena and waited for her friend to finish whatever notes she was making in the margins of her folder. They really were relegated to researching possible artifacts until they either had an entry to Rees’s office or they heard from Artie.

“Anything you recognize?” Myka asked.

Helena shook her head. “No. This is not something I’ve seen before--though I do agree with Artie that it is a bifurcated artifact. The timing and relationship in the effects are too much to be coincidental.”

“Yeah. Rees starts sparking and shocking things, while Ted ends up in a seizure with all power around him shorted out. Whatever we’re looking for is probably connected to electricity.”

“The artifact electrocutes things?” a voice behind them demanded.

Myka startled. She was relieved to note that Helena did too. Looking over her shoulder, Myka found Parker leaning over them, surreptitiously sniffing Helena’s hair before turning to meet Myka’s stare.

“It electrocutes things? Like a taser?” Parker’s eyes showed how excited this idea made her.

“No, darling, the artifact draws power from one person and pushes it through another, who starts giving off electricity,” Helena clarified, recovering faster than Myka.

“Cool! Can I keep it?” Parker demanded.

Myka glanced at Parker’s partners and saw them exchange an exasperated look before she turned back to the woman leaning over her shoulder. “No. It really hurts the person the energy is pulled from.”

Parker frowned. “Not as good as a taser, then.”

And she went back to the table where she was working on entry plans to Rees’s office.

“Friends?” Helena repeated. Again. “Tell me she hasn’t gotten her hands on a Tesla.”

“Unique,” Myka agreed. “And no.” She studied Parker’s partners again. Eliot was growling at Pete, telling the man to let the professionals do their job. Myka covered a snort. Helena didn’t bother.

That look Eliot and Hardison had shared...there was definitely a story or ten that had to do with Parker and tasers. And the men were intimately acquainted with them. And each other, if she was any judge. There was too much fondness shared in that look, both with each other, and the topic of discussion.

Pete threw himself down next to her with a sigh. “Guess I’m not wanted. Still, Alec’s pretty cool for a nerd. Wouldn’t say anything about Parker, though. Maybe I’ve still got a shot--she’s got a great smile.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Myka told him. “I’m not stepping in if either of them take exception to your flirting.”

Pete shrugged. “Why would they?”

“There’s something appealing about that glint of madness,” Helena murmured in Myka’s ear, probably low enough that Pete didn’t catch it as he walked away to bother Parker. “Though I’ve decided I much prefer competency.”

“And that is not Pete right now,” Myka agreed, watching Parker ignore him, and Eliot glare daggers at his back.

**3\. Steve**

Steve was glad that he’d gotten over most of his discomfort with the team from Leverage Inc. during the hunt for Clementine Hunter’s paintbrushes, because quarters in this hotel room were really too tight for the number of people. Everyone was stuffed into it. He, Claud and Artie had arrived about half an hour ago with Charles Brush’s tool box to immediately be brought into a flurry of activity.

Steve took up a position next to Eliot against the window and tried to stay out of the way.

Artie, H.G., and Myka were pouring over research on Charles Brush, and trying to figure out the second half of the artifact. Pete was poking through the box of donuts that Artie had brought, while Parker was explaining why there was a bite missing from each and every pastry left in the box. Hardison and Claudia were running computer scenarios on how to get past Rees’s security.

“You know not to let Parker know what the object is, right?” Eliot said suddenly, tone low, and eyes fixed on his partners so he knew he wouldn’t be overheard.

Steve nodded. They all knew, but… “If you get a moment with H.G., you might want to warn her too. And explain why.”

Eliot’s intense focus turned from his partners, and Steve felt it boring into the side of his head. “H.G. As in H.G. Wells.”

Steve froze, then shrugged and met the other man’s eyes. “They hadn’t let that slip yet? Might not want to share that with Hardison.”

“Share what with me?” Hardison bumped his shoulder into Eliot as he joined them, leaning into it for a moment before turning to Steve. “What is he not supposed to tell me.”

Steve just smiled at him.

Eliot gave Hardison a shove. “Go rescue the donuts from Parker.”

“Alright, alright. We’ll get it out of you later.”

Steve watched Hardison as he pulled a donut out of Parker’s hand and started to munch on it. His other hand brushed against hers as he smiled.

“I get that your job is full of weird stuff. But H.G. Wells died. And was definitely male.” Eliot didn’t even pause before picking the conversation back up.

“That was her brother,” Steve explained, knowing that it would answer nothing. And decided against continuing as Parker walked up toe to toe with Eliot and glared at him.

“Alec says you’re keeping secrets.” She poked her partner in the chest with a frosting covered finger.

Eliot didn’t answer, just took her wrist and raised her hand so that it was between them, the frosting obvious. “You didn’t finish your chocolate.”

She sighed. “Hardison stole the rest of it.”

“Why don’t you steal something back?”

Parker licked her finger and grinned. “Wallet or keys?”

“Shoelaces,” Eliot decided. “From the shoes he’s wearing.”

Steve watched her nod and start off toward Hardison. These three--he knew they were close, had seen how comfortable they were in each others’ space, but this was a level of intimacy that he hadn’t really understood when he’d worked with them before.

Pete met her in the middle and tried offering her a different chocolate donut only to be brushed off.

“Shoelaces?” Steve asked.

“Wallet or keys would have been too easy. I don’t think she’s ever tried stealing shoelaces before. I'll try to keep them from finding out until we're gone, or Helena is. All bets are off after that.”

Steve was saved from having to try to formulate a reply by Pete coming over and sighing.

“She keeps ignoring me,” Pete said with faux mournfulness as he stuffed a piece of the donut into his mouth.

“I wonder why,” Steve said dryly.

Eliot just glared at him.

**4\. Claudia**

Time for the snag and bag, Claudia thought as she sat next to Hardison in the van and watched the feed of Myka and H.G. making a scene in the lobby of Rees’s office building. The two women were really, really good at drawing attention.

“Looks like you’re up,” Hardison said. “Here’s your earbud. I know you have your own tech, but this will keep me, Parker and Eliot in the loop.”

Claudia accepted it and put it in her ear. “Sick! You make these yourself?”

“Of course,” Hardison answered with a smirk. “Only the best for my team. I’ll trade you the design for one of those ray guns y’all carry.”

“Sorry, no can do.” Claudia tumbled herself out of the van, stuffing a pair of purple gloves and a static bag in one pocket, her mini Tesla in the other. H.G. and Artie had agreed that the second half of the bifurcated object was an early prototype of Brush’s arc light that had been turned into a display in Rees’s office. H.G. claimed another non-existent gold star for spotting it in the footage they’d gotten of the room.

Luckily it was a small prototype, so it should fit in the static bag. Considering Parker was going to be leading her through the air ducts into the office, Claudia knew she wouldn’t be able to take much with her. Never a dull day with this job.

Parker and Eliot were waiting outside the van with Pete and Steve. Hardison unfolded himself from the back of the van behind her.

“You sure about this, Claud?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I mean one of us could go,” Pete offered.

“No,” Parker cut in before Claudia could.

“It’s fine. I’m kinda looking forward to this one,” Claudia assured them.

She was ready, but when Claudia turned to ask Parker to lead the way, she saw that it would be a moment. Eliot had his hand cupped around the back of Parker’s neck and was staring intently at her. “You let Claudia handle the artifact. Got it?”

“And no stealing anything else she ends up using, either,” Hardison added

Parker pouted at her partners. But even Hardison didn’t relent, bringing his hand up to cover Eliot’s on her neck.

Claudia let out a silent whistle. Shit, that was some intense stuff right there. Glancing over at Steve, she caught his wry look of agreement. At least she didn’t make a fool of herself figuring it out this time.

“Good huddle, you guys. Time to go,” Pete said, bouncing a bit on his feet as he craned his neck back to look at the building. “If we’re quick, I know a really good food truck that’s parked right around the corner.”

Claudia and Steve both turned to look at him. “Seriously?” she demanded. “That’s what you’re getting from this?”

“Well, yeah. Stake outs make me hungry.” Pete scrunched his face up a bit as he thought about it and actually rubbed his tummy with one hand.

“Right…”

Claudia almost laughed at Steve’s wide eyed look. Good to know that Pete being five could still surprise her partner.

No time to tease them, thouogh, because Parker was suddenly at her elbow and it really was time to move.

**5\. Artie**

It had been a long day, Artie decided with a sigh, pushing his glasses back into place again as he closed the case on his Farnsworth. Everything was quiet at the Warehouse, at least. Unlike in this over-crowded hotel room. Really, they should start booking suites for these things, because they always ended up hanging out together after a job instead of dispersing to their own rooms.

He left the little kitchenette area and found that Myka and Helena had taken one of the two queen sized beds, each propped up against the headboard and holding a book. Steve and Claudia had taken the other, Claudia sacked out and Steve texting on his phone. The three thieves from Leverage Inc. were on the couch, with Parker sprawled between Eliot and Hardison. She was leaning back into Hardison, with his arm across the back of the couch, just barely grazing her shoulder; Parker had bent her legs so that her feet were in Eliot’s lap. It looked like Hardison was controlling the television for now.

Pete…

“Guys, have you smelled that hotel soap? They put some sort of tropical fruit in it; it’s making me kinda hungry…” Pete told the room at large as he left the bathroom.

Artie sighed. Some things never changed. Though, that was good, because when Pete was not this… Pete… Artie oddly missed it.

Pete looked around the room, saw that the TV was on and immediately went and threw himself on the couch next to Hardison. “Hey, man, whatcha watching? Anything good?”

The trio all turned to look at the intruding Pete. Eliot gave a very Eliot glare, Parker blinked, and Hardison’s expression was bemused.

Artie watched Eliot’s hand tighten around Parker’s ankle, and Hardison’s arm shift slightly closer to her shoulder. Right. That wasn’t exactly subtle, but Pete seemed to be missing the point.

“Pete? How about we go find take-out for everybody?” Artie suggested. “There’s a pizza place around the corner.”

“Oh, good idea, Artie!” Pete bounded up from the sofa and grabbed his jacket. “Maybe they’ll have cookies too. Won’t be as good as yours… Myks, the usual? We’ll get a veggie one too, Steve. You guys have any preferences?” Pete turned to look at the trio on the couch as he shrugged on his coat.

The question was met with stares from Parker and Eliot. Hardison smiled, “Whatever, man. We’re easy.”

“None of those salty white things,” Parker muttered.

“Anchovies. No anchovies.” Eliot interpreted.

“No anchovies.” Artie repeated, putting his hand in the middle of Pete’s back and pushing him out the door and into the hallway, ignoring the snickering coming from the direction of Myka and Helena.

**+1. Pete**

Pete rolled up the last slice of pizza and stuffed half of it into his mouth. It wasn’t great pizza, but it had certainly hit the spot. H.G. looked positively revolted, so he grinned at her with his cheeks all puffed out. She was easier to annoy than Myka, and that was saying something.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flurry of activity from the couch where the trio from Leverage sat. Hardison was answering his phone, with Parker leaning her chin on his shoulder and frowning; Eliot started stacking their paper plates and cleaning up their trash.

“Yeah. Yeah, I can change our tickets and we can be there by the morning,” Hardison was saying.

Pete glanced at the others in the room and realized that everyone had turned their focus to the trio.

Eliot dumped the trash and shrugged into his jacket, coming back over to Hardison and putting a hand on the shoulder opposite Parker’s chin. “How bad?” he asked when the other man hung up.

“Not bad. Sophie’s apparently gotten on the wrong side of Sterling again,” Hardison answered, eyes laughing as he immediately grabbed for the tablet in his bag. “I owe you twenty bucks, I thought it would be another showdown with Nate next.”

Parker snickered.

This was definitely an inside joke; Pete sighed, wishing that he could ask for explanations, but neither Parker or Eliot would indulge him, and Hardison would find it funnier not to.

“I’ll go check us out,” Eliot said, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Hardison’s head, and then Parkers. “You get our flights changed.”

Eliot was already on his way to the door when Parker bolted up from her seat and caught him by the collar of his jacket.

“Be nice. Even if we have to pay,” she instructed. Then she leaned in and kissed him fiercely.

Wait. The three of them…

Pete turned a wide-eyed look to Myka, only to find her looking at him with a raised eyebrow. That was matched by H.G.’s eyebrow, and Steve’s smirk. None of them were surprised.

“Next flight leaves in forty; we’ll have to be fast,” Hardison called from the couch.

“You all go; we’ll take care of the hotel,” Artie interrupted. “Thanks for your help with this one.”

“You too. Watch the news, Rees lost a little more than just that art thing you grabbed tonight.” Hardison put his tablet back in the bag, and handed Parker her sweatshirt. “He’ll find most of his contracts have dried up.”

“Nothing that man doesn’t deserve,” H.G. agreed, voice pleased in that way Pete recognized from when she was being scary. “What? It’s not like you don’t agree,” she protested when Myka dug an elbow into her side.

Parker’s smile told Pete that she agreed with H.G. “It’s what we do. Feel free to call us again if you need our type of help.”

“Same,” Myka answered. “You know where we are.”

Pete watched the trio head out the door, then turned back to his partner. “When did that happen?” he demanded.

Steve coughed, “oblivious” into his hand. Claudia snorted.

“I thought you were supposed to be an investigator?” H.G. asked him, eyes amused.

Pete turned to look at Artie; but his boss just shrugged.

Well, it explained more than it didn’t, Pete decided, and shoved the last of the pizza in his mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Charles Brush (1849-1929) was a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur from Ohio who worked with arc lighting, generators, and power sources.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to come visit me over on [Tumblr at buriedbybooks](https://buriedbybooks.tumblr.com/) (where I mostly post fan-art), start a conversation, or drop an ask or a request. Do you have an idea for an artifact? An interaction you’d like to see between the Leverage crew and the Warehouse 13 team?


End file.
